BIG has revealed plans for a 2.6 million square foot (242,000 square meter) mixed-use complex in LA’s burgeoning Arts District. Called 670 Mesquit, the project will take the form of a series of stepped boxes containing 800,000 square feet of office space, 250 residential units and two hotels. The development will mark BIG’s first project in Los Angeles.

Located along the Los Angeles River, the proposed complex consists of two connected 30-story buildings inside of an L-shaped building footprint, organized around a grid of concrete cubes measuring 45 feet on each side. The large size of these modules will allow interiors to be subdivided based on program types and the needs of the incoming tenants with varying ceiling heights and mezzanine levels.

As the two building masses rise, the concrete cubes pull back to create accessible terraces on each level. In the riverside building, the volume steps back three full cube lengths for each rise, while in the western buildings, the cubes shift slightly as they are stacked.

To open up view corridors and circulation, three bays of the concrete armature have been left unfilled, essentially creating several unique buildings within one larger superstructure. The passageways will connect the public to both retail areas within the complex and the proposed outdoor areas above the existing railyard and along the river.

"The Arts District is experiencing a rapid renaissance, drawing creatives from all fields from fine arts to engineering. We have asked ourselves if we can renew the arts district by embracing rather than replacing the qualities that have spawned this unique urban culture,” said Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner of BIG.

“We have imagined a hybrid of two unique local typologies—the downtown warehouse and the case-study house. Like a flexible framework the project operates on two scales: the big bare bones of the buildings and the human-scale completion for its individual inhabitants. The freedom of the warehouse loft meets the individual customization of the stick-built case study house.”

“As a gateway to the Arts District and the LA river, it will constitute a major step toward reclaiming and transforming the river bank into a vital new urban landscape that can be enjoyed and appreciated by residents and visitors to this vibrant part of Los Angeles.”

Developed by Vella Group, the project is currently being presented to the city and neighborhood groups. Its construction would require significants variances from LA's planning department and likely affect the masterplan for the LA River, conceived by Frank Gehry last year.